Monday, April 23, 2012

“If you’re young and talented,”
remarked the novelist Haruki Murakami, “it’s like you have wings.”Remarkably young and even more
remarkably talented, the four featured soloists at the Orchestra of Southern
Utah’s 2012 R.L Halversen Young Artist Concert on Thursday, April 19th,
all soared very high on impressively strong wings.

Named for a gifted musician who devoted his life to
enriching the musical heritage of Southern Utah University and the surrounding
community, the annual Halversen concert showcases rising young local musicians
who have won a place on the program through competitive auditions.This year’s honored soloists were
Hilary Stavros on the oboe, Taylor Armstrong on the marimba, McKenzie Warren on
the violin, and Benjamin Morton on the piano.

To be sure, the evening did not begin on the wings of
youthful soloists.Rather the
evening began on the powerful pinions of the entire Orchestra of Southern Utah
(OSU).Under the inspiring baton
of OSU director Xun Sun, the gifted ensemble that has made Cedar City’s
Heritage Center a musical mecca once again delighted listeners, this time with
Jean Sibelius’deeply moving Finlandia.Beginning, as it were, from the very
bowels of the earth, the deep bass opening notes of this early-20th-century
masterpiece signaled the beginning of an ascent into the storm clouds of
restless Romanticism, churning with the angst that once fired the hearts of
young Finnish nationalists, restive under the oppression of Russian.Voiced by a plaintive chorus of strings
and winds, that angst sharpened into the staccato of brass and boiled with the
subterranean rumblings of drums, until melting into hymnal serenity, before
quickening into the lighting flashes of the luminous conclusion.

But while the seasoned veterans of the orchestra were
visiting turbulent musical skies, the talented young guest soloists were
stretching their wings off stage, waiting for their turn to take flight.Launching the evening’s youth-soloist
portion of the concert, Hilary Stavros carried listeners into the musical
stratosphere with her rendition of Oboe Concerto by Vincenzo
Bellini.Playing off the
languorous harmonies of the orchestra’s stings, Stavros’ poignant oboe song
flowed with liquid pathos, before quickening into more kinetic and capricious
rhythms.A young virtuoso, Stavros
dazzled with a mastery that sustained an impressive maiden flight as an OSU
concert soloist.

Impressive flight continued with the second featured
soloist, but the feel and cadence modulated as Taylor Armstrong performed the
finale from Eric Ewazen’s Concerto for Marimba and String Orchestra
with irresistible energy and verve.Establishing an animated musical dialogue, Armstrong matched his daring
percussionist forays as a soloist against the rich orchestral responses from
the entire ensemble, forays and responses ramifying into a marvelous cascade of
richly textured music.As
the cadence of this number grew ever more taut and vibrant, and ever more
insistent, Armstrong drew listeners into an almost feverish transport, until
the tone mellowed into a pensive pianissimo—only to erupt again in
pyrotechnicsthat finally coalesce
into a concluding passage of majestic splendor.Listeners could only marvel at how such a young performer
could deliver both technical skill and interpretive artistry in his artistic
flight.

But youthful skill and artistry again fused when Armstrong’s
marimba number was followed by McKenzie James Warren’s compelling rendition of
the second and third movements of Henri Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No. 5
in A minor, Op. 37.From the
pleading tenderness of the opening notes through a segue of heightening energy
and into a plaintive sustained keening, rare talent gave Taylor eagle’s wings
for astonishing flight.But his
was a flight not only of aery flight but also of fiery descent, as an audacious
musical dive carried the audience from the celestial heights of sublime lament
into storms of flaming fierceness, before finally gliding into the majestic
denouement.

Musical majesty continued to thrill the audience as the
final youth soloist of the evening, Benjamin Morton, flew across the keyboard
in his rendition of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op.
73, “Emperor.”With masterful command, Morton conveyed the shifting
moods of the brilliant German composer--now deliberate, now exuberant; now
reflective, now dynamic.As in
Armstrong’s marimba solo, Morton’s piano solo established a vivacious dialogue
between soloist and orchestra.However, in this number both the soloist’s sorties and the orchestra’s
rejoinders maintained a distinctively regal style, opulently baroque at many
points, splendidly imperial.Indeed, imperial would
be the mot juste for the
stunning talent of the young soloist for this number.

Listeners could only marvel at the impressive musical
flights of the four talented young featured soloists who performed before
intermission.But the marvelous
collective endowments of the Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU)—talents in
evidence primarily as backdrop before intermission—moved back into the
limelight for the final number of the concert: George Enesco’s Romanian
Rhapsody #1.With the sweet trilling of bird songs, the opening of this
magical number evokes the feeling of a joyous awakening, an awakening that soon
quickens into the celebratory swirlings of dance.At first elegant and courtly, those swirlings grow ever more
rapid and frantic, until the wild and tarantella-like choreography finally
collapses in blank silence—only to begin anew, softly at first but finally
ecstatic.

And as they savored the
ecstasy of that conclusion, the audience realized that they had not only
witnessed astounding musical flight but that they themselves had shared the
musical wings that ascended the heavens.

OSU director Xun Sun
once again deserves high praise for preparing the orchestra for such remarkable
musical flight.Likewise deserving
of high praise are the individual musicians whose talents lent listeners such
powerful musical wings.And the
individual musicians worthy of particular praise are the evening’s four young
soloists.Such young talent
ensures that the Heritage Center will be a musical aerie for many years to
come!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

We're excited to present four outstanding young musicians as soloists with the Orchestra of Southern Utah on Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Center. Help us spread the word.

Congratulations to Taylor Armstrong who won first place in marimba at the Utah Day of Percussion Competition. He is one of our soloists for the R.L. Halversen Young Artists Concert

Congratulations also to Lydia Bradshaw who has been selected as a semi-finalist for the upcoming Southern California Marimba Competition. She has played percussion with OSU in several concerts.

From the latest Symphony magazine from the League of American Orchestras:

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Ben Folds has built a stellar career as a bandleader and hitmaker on the pop charts. So why is he returning to his symphonic roots and performing with orchestras?

"Our society and culture are dependent upon people working together in concert, in harmony, with focus and purpose. In 30 seconds of watching the news, we get the message loud and clear: people can't work together, whether it's Congress or the airport. What a ridiculous notion. Go to the symhony this weekend and wash that idea out of your head! The symphony orchestra is a major column at the core of our civilization, not a luxury or a special-interest art form. When it goes, so shall we! And what could be more inspiring than 80-some dedicated musicians, focusing their lives of discipline generously and passionately to create something beautiful. There never was a time when we were in great need of such an example of people working together. In concert."

Come and join OSU for our season finale and enjoy the power of Finlandia by Sibelius and an energetic Roumanian Rhapsody by Enesco as well as soloists Hilary Stavros, oboe; Benjamin Morton, piano; McKenzie Warren, violin; and Taylor Armstrong, marimba. Xun Sun provides the musical leadership and the musicians invite you to share a wonderful evening of great music. Thanks to all involved with our season.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

We
love the tenacity and dedication of the Orchestra of Southern Utah
musicians. Debbie Nollan developed a tendon problem so she has an
"adaptive" horn which is played with the opposite hand position. She
is going to play Finlandia on April 19, no matter what. The photo of Debbie is from last summer before the injury.

From Debbie:

Got my "new" horn today. A hobbiest in Michigan took a single Bb horn
apart, and put it back together in mirror image. He had to change the
bend in 3 pipes. I practiced for the first time in 4 weeks, and without
pain. It'll take a bit of getting used to as I have to set up my body
in a totally different way and I have to think Bb horn even though I'm
not pulling a thumb valve. Now I can resume my playing and heal up that
tendon at the same time.

I will have to figure out how to reupholster the case to accommodate this horn.

We wish her a speedy recovery and appreciate her great contribution to our orchestra. She also manages the Color Country Winds so woodwind and brass players can keep performing throughout the summer and fall.

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The Orchestra of Southern Utah performs a variety of programs and recitals throughout the year. We are a semi-professional group with artists from many different backgrounds and age groups. We love bringing quality music to Southern Utah and appreciate our amazing supporters.